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Ricky Tomlinson Gets Animated over Lottery Funding

Media Assets

‘Just Imagine’ campaign asks the nation to imagine how different lives might be without the £31 billion raised by The National Lottery

RICKY Tomlinson today launches a new animated film on behalf of the National Lottery with star turns from Olympic athletes Chris Hoy and gymnast Beth Tweddle.

The short film, starring Ricky as the narrator, dramatises how every person in the UK has been touched by Lottery funding in one way or another.

The 90-second animation has been created by BAFTA award-winning animation studio Blue Zoo, which has itself received National Lottery funding. The story connects people from different regions of the UK and features Lottery-funded projects across the arts, sport, heritage and voluntary sectors – from a young gymnast inspired by the 2012 London Olympic Games to schoolchildren learning about old bones at the Natural History Museum.

Actor Ricky stars as himself in the animation and lends his instantly-recognisable voice to the narration. Ricky has been a supporter of National Lottery funding since visiting a Lottery-funded project, Gartnavel Chapel Cancer Support Centre, in Glasgow last year. Commenting on the ‘Just Imagine’ campaign, he said:

“National Lottery players raise an astonishing £33 million every week for good causes, improving lives in so many different ways. National Lottery funding has helped causes close to my heart like literacy projects, cancer support charities and even my local park, Sefton Park. Even if you’re not a big prize winner when you play the National Lottery, you’re helping other people win big.”

A number of celebrities and Lottery-funded projects are taking to social media today, tweeting simultaneously to raise awareness of the importance of Lottery funding.

Gymnast, Beth Tweddle is supporting the campaign, commenting:

“For me, National Lottery funding was an integral part of my life. Without it, I wouldn’t have been able to compete in the sport I love. I hope that my involvement with this campaign will encourage my followers to pause and find out more about the crucial work that National Lottery funding makes possible.”

The National Lottery has launched a ‘Good Cause Finder’ to enable people to find out more about the National Lottery funded projects in their area at www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk.

Vicki Kennedy, Director of The National Lottery Promotions Unit, said:

“This film demonstrates how everyone’s life has been enhanced by National Lottery funding in one way or another. It features a number of projects including a dance group, disability charity and a project supporting older people. But they are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the impact of National Lottery funding. People can see for themselves how lives are being changed in their own community by inputting their postcode to the new good cause finder on our website.”